Melinda Gates: Duke grads can connect with world

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Philanthropist, businesswoman and Duke University alumna Melinda Gates says graduates of her alma mater can use technology in a way she couldn't as a student to connect with others and make a difference in the world.

Gates spoke Sunday, when Duke awarded more than 5,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. They included degrees for those who graduated in September and December.

Gates received her undergraduate and business degrees from Duke and also served as a university trustee. She's now co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates says forms of communication are the biggest difference between students today and when she went to school. She says smart phones and other technology are so prevalent that she even saw them in a Kenyan slum she visited recently.